Cedar Creek, Cedar Creek Watershed (MI04)
Cedar Creek, Cedar Creek Watershed (MI04)
Cedar Creek (21300)
27.76 Miles
5 - 32.76
Natural Community
Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results that use predicted flow and temperature based on landscape features and related assumptions. Ranges of flow and temperature associated with specific aquatic life communities (fish, macroinvertebrates) help biologists identify appropriate resource management goals. Wisconsin Natural Communities.
Warm Mainstem, Macroinvertebrate, Cool-Cold Headwater, Warm Headwater, COOL-Warm Headwater
Year Last Monitored
This is the most recent date of monitoring data stored in SWIMS. Additional surveys for fish and habitat may be available subsequent to this date.
2024
Poor
 
This river is impaired
Impairment Unknown
Total Phosphorus, PCBs
 
Ozaukee, Washington
Trout Water 
Trout Waters are represented by Class I, Class II or Class III waters. These classes have specific ecological characteristics and management actions associated with them. For more information regarding Trout Classifications, see the Fisheries Trout Class Webpages.
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
Wisconsin has designated many of the state's highest quality waters as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) or Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). Waters designated as ORW or ERW are surface waters which provide outstanding recreational opportunities, support valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat, have good water quality, and are not significantly impacted by human activities. ORW and ERW status identifies waters that the State of Wisconsin has determined warrant additional protection from the effects of pollution. These designations are intended to meet federal Clean Water Act obligations requiring Wisconsin to adopt an 'antidegradation' policy that is designed to prevent any lowering of water quality - especially in those waters having significant ecological or cultural value.
No
Impaired Water 
A water is polluted or 'impaired' if it does not support full use by humans, wildlife, fish and other aquatic life and it is shown that one or more of the pollutant criteria are not met.
Yes

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
The use the water currently supports. This is not a designation or classification; it is based on the current condition of the water. Information in this column is not designed for, and should not be used for, regulatory purposes.
Restricted Aquatic Life
Fish and Aquatic Life communities are not fully supported in this ecosystem.
Attainable Use
The use that the investigator believes the water could achieve through managing "controllable" sources. Beaver dams, hydroelectric dams, low gradient streams, and naturally occurring low flows are generally not considered controllable. The attainable use may be the same as the current use or it may be higher.
WWSF
Streams capable of supporting a warm waterdependent sport fishery. Representative aquatic life communities associated with these waters generally require cool or warm temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that do not drop below 5 mg/L.
Designated Use
This is the water classification legally recognized by NR102 and NR104, Wis. Adm. Code. The classification determines water quality criteria and effluent limits. Waters obtain designated uses through classification procedures.
Default FAL
Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.

Historical Description

Cedar Creek T10N, R21E, Section 36, Surface Acres = 131.3, Length = 15,7 miles, Gradient = 9.6 feet per mile.
A major waterway of Ozaukee County, originating in Washington County,
and flowing eastward to the Milwaukee River. Several dams on the creek illustrate
that in the past it was a "working stream". At present only one of the dams is
used for power. Forage minnows and a few northern pike constitute the fishery.
Pollution by canneries has caused many fish kills in the past. The flow of this
stream has on several occasions dropped below 2 cfs so its capacity to accommodate
much pollution is limited. On the other extreme, maximum flow has been as great
as 3,320 cfs in the vicinity of Cedarburg (average 63.2 cfs).

From: Poff, Ronald J., Gernay, Ronald, and Threinen, C.W., 1964. Surface Water Resources of Ozaukee County:
Lake and Stream Classification Project. Wisconsin Conservation Department, Madison, WI.

Date  1964

Author   Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Cedar Creek, Cedar Creek Watershed (MI04) Fish and Aquatic LifeCedar Creek, Cedar Creek Watershed (MI04) RecreationCedar Creek, Cedar Creek Watershed (MI04) Fish Consumption

Impaired Waters

Cedar Creek from the dam in downtown Cedarburg to its headwaters (miles 5 to 32.76) was evaluated for phosphorus and biology every two-year cycle from 2014 to 2022. Phosphorus levels were found to be too high, putting this segment on the Impaired Waters List in 2014. This water is covered by a restoration plan, the Milwaukee River Watershed TMDL.

Date  2022

Author  Ashley Beranek

Impaired Waters

Cedar Creek from its mouth to dam in downtown Cedarburg (miles 0 to 5) was put on the Impaired Waters List for PCB contaminated fish tissue and sediment. This site has legacy sediment contamination. The TMDL for PCBs was approved in 2008. Evaluation of fish and bug communities in the 2020 and 2022 cycles showed them in good condition.

Date  2022

Author  Ashley Beranek

Condition

Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.

Reports

Recommendations

Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Restore Wetlands
Restore Wetlands
TMDL (USEPA) Approved
The Cedar Creek and Milwaukee River watershed was listed on the 2006 Section 303(d) list due to fish consumption advisories due to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
TMDL Monitoring
Cedar Creek is a 28-mile, warm water stream that runs through Washington and Ozaukee Counties of Southeastern Wisconsin and flows into the Milwaukee River at river mile 28. Cedar Creek is part of the Great Lakes Basin, and ultimately the fate and transport of PCBs to the Milwaukee River and the Milwaukee River Area of Concern should be considered when exploring implementation actions for this TMDL. Despite the remediation efforts of Ruck Pond, human and ecological risks remain in effect downstream of the Ruck Dam in Cedar Creek to the Milwaukee River.
Nine Key Element Plan
Cedar Creek PWS Plan - Nine Key Element Plan - This priority watershed plan assesses nonpoint pollution sources in the Cedar Creek Watershed and sets forth a strategy for reducing their effects on surface waters.
Monitor Water Quality or Sediment
New data confirms phosphous listing. Temperature exceedance based on June 2018 exceedance rate - not sufficient for listing because there were fewer days recorded in the month than all other months. All other months meet criteria.
Monitor Fish Tissue
21300 name Cedar Creek TMDL ID 35378-69 Start Mile 0 End Mile 5
Sediment Remediation Phase 5 - Implementation
A total of 11,219.5 metric tons of sediment were removed from Ruck Pond during this dry excavation.
Sediment Remediation Phase 1 - Screening
Evidence in fish tissue that Cedar Creek has PCB contamination.

Management Goals

Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable

Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.

Monitoring

Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.

Grants and Management Projects

Monitoring Projects

Watershed Characteristics

Cedar Creek is located in the Cedar Creek watershed which is 129.26 miĀ². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (33.50%), grassland (18.90%) and a mix of wetland (17.70%) and other uses (29.90%). This watershed has 176.82 stream miles, 1,897.46 lake acres and 13,111.81 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, High for runoff impacts on lakes and High for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of High. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.

Natural Community

Cedar Creek is considered a Warm Mainstem, Macroinvertebrate, Cool-Cold Headwater, Warm Headwater, COOL-Warm Headwater under the state's Natural Community Determinations.

Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results and DNR staff valiation processes that confirm or update predicted conditions based on flow and temperature modeling from historic and current landscape features and related variables. Predicated flow and temperatures for waters are associated predicated fish assemblages (communities). Biologists evaluate the model results against current survey data to determine if the modeled results are corect and whether biological indicators show water quaity degradation. This analysis is a core component of the state's resource management framework. Wisconsin's Riverine Natural Communities.

Cool (Warm-Transition) Headwaters are small, sometimes intermittent streams with cool to warm summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are uncommon to absent, transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are common to uncommon. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.

Warm Mainstem waters are moderate-to-large but still wadeable perennial streams with relatively warm summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are absent, transitional fishes are common to uncommon, and warm water fishes are abundant to common. Headwater species are common to absent, mainstem species are abundant to common, and river species are common to absent.

Cool (Cold-Transition) Headwaters are small, usually perennial streams with cold to cool summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are common to uncommon (<10 per 100 m), transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are uncommon to absent. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.

Warm Headwaters are small, usually intermittent streams with warm summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are absent, transitional fishes are common to uncommon, and warm water fishes are abundant to common. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.